Missing Oxnard girl believed to be runaway, officials say

Oxnard police believe a 13-year-old girl missing for a week ran away from home willingly.

Samantha Torres was last seen leaving a relative’s apartment along the 2400 block of Alvarado Street in Oxnard last Saturday. She was reported missing by family on Monday, Senior Detective Luis McArthur said.

Although potential leads have fallen through, McArthur said investigators had no reason to believe Torres was abducted.

“It’s just the opposite,” McArthur said. “We’re classifying it as a runaway.”

McArthur said Torres had indicated to friends before she disappeared that she may have had plans to leave. She had run away from home before as well, he said.

Investigators are working to find out whether Torres left with anyone and are monitoring her social media profiles for any clues to her whereabouts. She has not contacted any of her friends since she disappeared, McArthur said.

McArthur said the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office initially was investigating the incident until Thursday, when it was determined that the case fell in Oxnard Police Department’s jurisdiction, McArthur said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Oxnard Police Department at 385-7662 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.